To the honourable Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives:

This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House the urgent need in regional and rural Australia for more accessible services to diagnose, treat and manage the serious chronic medical condition of lymphoedema.

We, the petitioners, therefore ask the House to provide training for general medical practitioners throughout Australia in the detection, assessment and treatment of lymphoedema in accordance with the Lymphoedema Framework. Best Practice for the Management of Lymphoedema. International Consensus (IC) 2006.

We ask the House to urgently allocate funding for the appointment of trained lymphoedema therapists in medical centres and community nursing services throughout Australia.

In accordance with the IC best practice model we ask the House to provide funding for up to twenty (20) hours of manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) per annum, integral to the treatment of lymphoedema.

In accordance with the IC best practice model we, the petitioners, ask the House to provide funding for up to six (6) pairs of custom made compression garments per annum, essential to the management of lymphoedema.

We, the petitioners, ask the House of Representatives for financial assistance for transport where travel of more than 40 kms is necessary to access the services of a lymphoedema therapist qualified to assess, treat and manage lymphoedema.